Tag Archives: flower

As soon as I opened the front door I knew. A long-lost scent hit my nostrils, richly fragrant and unashamedly old-school floral. The hyacinths had opened. I smiled and shut the door against the dank and rainy night.
At the risk of losing whatever horticultural ‘street cred’ I may (or may not) possess, I’m going to say it loud and proud. I love hyacinths! They are so proud, so unashamed, so …Read More

I love a crisp cold winter’s morning as much as the next person. But there really is something uplifting about seeing the first signs of spring! The mighty winter aconites are now out in force around the wooded areas of South Lincolnshire, kicking off the year in style with a flash of brilliant yellow and it shouldn’t be too long until the dots of white, orange and purple join them.

Hopefully we will soon be leaving the dull drab days behind us and looking ahead to the wakening up of our gardens. For lots of us we will see the return of our much loved favourites that we have protected over winter. But if you are looking to add new and extra colour to your garden take a look at this sensational Asian Lily ‘Queen of the Night’. Such a …Read More

Years ago, working on a programme about superfoods for BBC Gardeners’ World, I was shocked to learn just how deeply our notion of which foods are best for us is shaped by the food industry, rather than scientists. Blackberries, for example are hugely good for us, packed full of vitamin C, antioxidants and fibre – yet we routinely overlook them for blueberries, which have been more heavily marketed.
Whatever the rights …Read More

An Enjoyable Day at Chelsea Flower Show! Last year Adrian went off to the Chelsea Flower Show and left me behind – this year it was the reverse, I went off and left Adrian behind. My friend Liz and myself both being keen gardeners were very excited about the day ahead of us until we were travelling through London in a coach with the weather looking anything but friendly. Thunder above us, …Read More

Daffodils/Narcissi are one of the most popular spring flowering bulbs. My daffodils and narcissi this spring have been amazing – blankets of colour! I love them, they are always cheerful looking and brighten up any part of the garden and they are also great for tubs on the patio. The advantage of these lovely flowers is that they naturalise and reappear the following spring.
Today was such a beautiful day so …Read More

February is a cruel month. More often than not (and I have a feeling that this year will be no exception) it taunts us with promise – buds bursting, early bulbs poking through the soil, a few sunny Sundays. We think that spring is finally underway – only to have a week of snow flung in our hopeful faces.
Time then to banish winter blues, retreat to the fireside with a …Read More

Orchids. The very word conjures up exotic flowers, strange scents and an air of mystery. That or a dodgy scented bubble bath which has come from a chemical manufacturing plant, rather than the leaves n’ flowers kind….
A big part of their appeal comes from the fact that they were considered rare and difficult to grow. However, the warmth of modern homes, plus new propagation techniques, coupled with the fact that …Read More

With all the bad weather around we were very lucky in this corner of the UK to enjoy a relatively dry weekend. After all the wet and cold weather I felt a sense of freedom when I was wandering around my garden looking for signs of spring. I found the occasional beautiful blue anemone blanda in flower (always a favourite of mine) and the arrival of a few snowdrops showing …Read More

January, named from the two-headed Roman god Janus who looks both forwards and backwards, is a great time to take stock in the garden. The leaves are down, everything that dies back has done so by now and the garden is at its absolute barest – all the strengths and weaknesses of its design will be at their most obvious. Take a moment to look out from various different windows …Read More